Troubleshooting · 5 min read
A HEIC file that won't open is almost never broken. It's just landed somewhere that doesn't speak HEIC. Find your situation below and you'll have it sorted in a minute.
Updated
In nine cases out of ten the fix is the same: convert the HEIC to JPG. Drop the file into the converter on this page and download the JPG. It works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone or Linux, and because it runs on your device, there's nothing to upload and nothing to install.
If you'd like to understand what's going on, or need a fix that isn't conversion, find your situation below.
Try it right here: HEIC → JPG
Open full tool →Drop HEIC photos here
HEIC, HEIF · also JPG, PNG, WebP
or paste with Ctrl+V
HEIC compresses photos with HEVC (H.265), a modern codec covered by patents. Apple pays for it and supports HEIC everywhere in its own products. Many other companies don't include it, or only include it as an optional extra. So a perfectly healthy HEIC file looks "broken" the moment it lands on a Windows PC, a website, or a kiosk.
You can check whether the file itself is okay with our in-browser HEIC viewer. If it displays there, the file is fine and you're dealing with a support problem.
| Where it fails | Most likely cause | Fastest fix |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Photos or File Explorer | Missing HEVC support | Convert, or install Microsoft's extensions |
| A website upload form | Form only accepts JPG or PNG | Convert to JPG, compress if needed |
| Email recipient | Their device or webmail can't show HEIC | Send JPGs |
| A specific app or editor | App doesn't support HEIC | Convert to JPG or PNG |
| Android phone | Gallery or file manager lacks support | Google Photos, or convert |
| Print kiosk or photo lab | Only JPG accepted | Convert to high-quality JPG |
Symptoms: "This file format is not supported", a blank thumbnail, or Photos asks you to buy an extension.
Why: Windows 10 and 11 need Microsoft's HEIF Image Extensions (free) and usually HEVC Video Extensions (a small paid add-on) to read HEIC.
Fix:
For ongoing iPhone imports, set Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic on the iPhone. Full details are in our guide to opening HEIC on Windows.
Symptoms: "Unsupported file type", "Please upload a JPG or PNG", or the file simply isn't selectable.
Why: Most upload forms are built around JPG and PNG. Many also have a size limit, and some check dimensions.
Fix:
On iPhone, picking from the Photos library in Safari usually converts to JPG automatically. Problems tend to come from the Files app or from HEICs you've moved to a computer. See uploading iPhone photos to a website.
Symptoms: "I can't open the attachments", or they see a generic file icon.
Why: You sent original HEIC files, perhaps from a Mac, the Files app or a cloud drive. The recipient is on Windows, an older phone or webmail.
Fix: Convert to JPG and resend. If the photos are big, compress them to a few hundred KB each so the email isn't rejected for size. Our emailing HEIC photos guide covers attachment limits.
Symptoms: "Cannot read file", "Unknown format", or nothing happens when you open it.
Why: Plenty of photo editors, design tools, document apps and older software don't support HEIC, even on systems that do.
Fix: Convert to JPG for photos, or PNG if you'll be editing heavily and want to avoid a second round of compression. Then open the converted file.
Symptoms: The photo doesn't show up in the gallery, has a grey thumbnail, or shows only part of the image.
Why: HEIC support on Android depends on the phone maker, the Android version and the app.
Fix:
Symptoms: The kiosk doesn't list your photos, or the online lab refuses the upload.
Why: Printing systems almost universally expect JPG.
Fix: Convert at a high quality (90 or above) before you go, and pick the sRGB colour option for the most predictable print colours. Our printing HEIC photos guide covers resolution and cropping.
The data inside stays HEIC. Some apps might even open it if they sniff the real format, which makes it confusing, but most will fail. Always convert properly.
Switching your iPhone to Most Compatible stops new photos being HEIC, but does nothing to files you've already taken. Handy for the future, not for the photo in front of you.
It works, but you're handing personal photos (often with GPS location inside) to a server you know nothing about. The converter on this page does the same job inside your browser, and strips GPS by default.
Occasionally a HEIC genuinely is broken. Signs include:
In that case, try getting the file again from the source. If it was on your iPhone, export it again from Photos. A converter can't recover data that isn't there.
FAQ
The app or device you're using doesn't support HEIC, which relies on the patented HEVC codec. The file is usually fine. Converting it to JPG makes it open anywhere.
Probably not. If it opens on an iPhone or Mac, or in the viewer on this site, the file is fine and the problem is software support. A genuinely damaged file usually fails everywhere.
Many upload forms only accept JPG and PNG. Convert the HEIC to JPG first, and compress it if the form also has a size limit.
They're probably on Windows, an older phone or a webmail client that doesn't display HEIC. Send JPGs instead, or ask them to convert the files.
No. Renaming only changes the label. The data inside is still HEIC, so most apps will refuse it or show an error. You need a real conversion.
Most kiosks and photo labs only accept JPG, and sometimes PNG or TIFF. Convert to JPG before you go, ideally at a high quality setting.
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